Hey guys! Just recently (over the last couple months), I picked up two completely different toys at two completely different stores. HFTD Terradive and Animated Skywarp. But much to my chagrin, both of them had tons of plastic defects - namely lots of flashing and not clean plastic stuff on both, with parts that weren't even quite fitting together on Skywarp! Has anyone else been getting plastic problems lately? Also, how do I fix plastic defects? Or, can I? -Thanks!
Keep in mind, our beloved plastic figures are being hastily constructed on a line by tired, overworked folk. A few flubs in the process are inevitable. It happens. Best thing to do, especially if its mold flash, is to take the pieces apart and cut away at the extra plastic carefully with a hobby knife.
Animated Skywarp generally has problems as it's the 4th(?) repaint of that mold. First I've heard of a defective Terradive though.
I dont know what is doing it, but I got issues with RTS Jazz and Lugnut. For some reason sometimes when I transform Jazz into bot mode, the left leg gets stuck. Then I have to remove the screws to get the leg transform. With Lugnut as of late when I move the left leg, the back panel comes off and the bottom of the screw can be seen sticking out of the knee. So I have to place the panel back together and screw it back together, but it does not feel like the screw is getting tighter as I go down.
Sounds like the screw was originally overtightened on that Lugnut, which chewed up the screw thread. I'm sure there are easy fixes for that though, maybe shove some molding plastic/putty into the hole, then make a drill hole (smaller than the screw) then rescrew it in, with the screw making a new thread in the plastic/putty.
That happened to me with a Demolisher I got form Asia. I think I just cut it with scissors and it was all good.
Judging by my jazz I say they're increasing the amount of re-grind in the resin mix. Less virgin material and more re-grind = less production costs.
If ur comfortable enough with model/converting use a slightly larger tap than the original hole and then a new matching screw on the new tapped hole u created. This will ensure a proper/strong fit and bond.